Chrysanthemum plant named `Noon Time`

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named Noon Time, characterized by its flat capitulum form; vigorous and tall growth habit; freely branching plant habit; large daisy-type inflorescences; bright yellow ray florets; and excellent postproduction longevity.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora and referred to by the cultivar name Noon Time.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventor in Havant, Hampshire, United Kingdom. The objective of the breeding program was to create new Chrysanthemum cultivars having a fast flowering response, desirable inflorescence colors, and inflorescences and foliage with good substance.

The new cultivar originated from a cross made by the inventor of the inventor's proprietary Chrysanthemum selection No. P204-89 as the male or pollen parent with the inventor's proprietary Chrysanthemum selection No. P14-89 as the female or seed parent.

The cultivar Noon Time was discovered and selected by the inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Havant, Hampshire, United Kingdom.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken at Havant, Hampshire, United Kingdom, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of Noon Time. These characteristics in combination distinguish Noon Time as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Flat capitulum form.

2. Vigorous and tall growth habit.

3. Freely branching plant habit.

4. Large daisy-type inflorescences.

5. Bright yellow ray florets.

6. Excellent postproduction longevity with inflorescences maintaining good substance and color for more than 3 weeks in an interior environment.

The cultivar Noon Time has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

In side-by-side comparisons in Havant, Hampshire, United Kingdom, under commercial practice, plants of the new Chrysanthemum have larger inflorescences and leaves, and ray floret color is lighter yellow than plants of the male parent, the proprietary selection P204-89. In the same comparisons, plants of the new Chrysanthemum have smaller leaves, are more vigorous andflower later than plants of the female parent, the proprietary selection P14-89. In addition, the ray floret color of plants of the female parent is white.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are similar to the cultivar Miramar (disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,469) in ray floret color. However, in side-by-side comparisons conducted in Oxnard, Calif., under commercial practice, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Miramar in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are taller, have longer lateral branches and are more vigorous than plants of the cultivar Miramar.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have more leaves per lateral branch and leaves are longer than leaves of plants of the cultivar Miramar.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have more inflorescences and larger (wider and taller) inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Miramar.

4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have more than twice as many ray florets per inflorescence as plants of the cultivar Miramar.

5. Peduncles are longer and the peduncle angle of plants of the new Chrysanthemum is more acute than the length and angle of peduncles of plants of the cultivar Miramar.

A detailed comparison of plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the cultivar Miramar appears in Chart A at the end of the specification.

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. The photograph comprises a top perspective view of a typical flowering 16.5-cm container of Noon Time with five cuttings in the container and the lateral inflorescences removed (disbudded pot chrysanthemum).

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Oxnard, Calif., under commercial practice in a glass-covered greenhouse with average night temperatures of 18° C., average day temperatures of 30° C., and light levels of 2,000 (cloudy conditions) to 9,000 (sunny conditions) footcandles.

After sticking unrooted cuttings of the new cultivar, plants received 21 long day/short nights followed by short day/long nights until flowering. Two weeks after the start of the short day/long night treatment, plants received five weekly spray application of daminozide growth retardant at a rate of 2,500 ppm. Measurements and numerical values represent ranges or averages for six typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Noon Time.

Commercial classification: Decorative potted Chrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Male, or pollen, parent.--Proprietary selection P204-89.

Female, or seed, parent.--Proprietary selection P14-89.

Propagation:

Type.--Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to rooting.--7 to 10 days with soil temperatures of 21° C.

Rooting habit.--Fine, fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.--Perennial herbaceous decorative potted plant. Stems upright, uniform habit and freely branching. Vigorous and tall growth habit.

Plant height.--About 30 cm.

Lateral branch length.--22 to 24 cm.

Quantity of lateral branches after removal of apical meristem.--About 3.5.

Stem color.--147B.

Foliage description.--Number of leaves per lateral branch: 16 to 17. Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Leaf size, fully expanded: Length: 10 to 10.5 cm. Width: 4 to 5 cm. Leaf apex: Acuminate. Leaf base: Attenuate. Leaf margin: Palmately lobed. Leaf texture: Upper and under surfaces slightly pubescent, smooth and dull. Veins prominent on under surface. Petiole length: About 2 cm. Color: Young foliage upper surface: 147A. Young foliage under surface: 147B. Fully expanded foliage upper surface: 147A. Fully expanded foliage under surface: 147B. Venation upper surface: 147B. Venation under surface: 147B. Petiole: 147A.

Flowering description:

Appearance.--Large daisy inflorescence form. Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage, arising from leaf axils. Disc and ray florets arranged acropetally on a flat capitulum.

Flowering response.--Under natural conditions, plant flowers in the autumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other times of the year, inflorescence initiation and development can be induced under short day/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Plants exposed to 2 weeks of long day/short night conditions after sticking followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditions, flower about 62 to 65 days later.

Postproduction longevity.--In an interior environment, inflorescences and foliage of flowering plants will maintain good color and substance for at least 3 weeks in an interior environment.

Quantity of inflorescences.--About 8 inflorescences per flowering stem.

Inflorescence size.--Diameter: 12 to 14 cm. Depth (height): About 5 cm. Diameter of disc: 1.8 to 2 cm. Disc depth (height): About 2 cm.

Ray florets.--Shape: Long, narrow. Size: Length: 6.5 to 7 cm. Width: 1.3 to 1.5 cm. Apex: Rounded. Base: Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture: Satiny, smooth and glabrous. Aspect: Flat. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 80. Color: When opening, upper surface: 3A. When opening, under surface: 3A. Mature, upper surface: 3A, ray floret color does not fade with subsequent development. Mature, under surface: 3C.

Disc florets.--Shape: Tubular. Size: Length: About 6 mm. Width: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets per inflorescence: About 137. Color: Immature: 154A. Mature: 12A.

Peduncle.--Aspect: Strong and angled 25° to 30° to the stem. Length: About 7.5 cm. Texture: Glabrous. Color: 147B.

Reproductive organs.--Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anther color: 12A. Pollen: Moderate, 12A in color. Gynoecium: Present on both ray and disc florets. Style color: 154A.

Disease resistance: No known Chrysanthemum diseases observed to date on plants grown under commercial greenhouse conditions.

Seed production: Seed production has not been observed.

                  CHART A                                                          ______________________________________                                         CHARACTERISTIC    NOON TIME   MIRAMAR                                          ______________________________________                                         PLANT HEIGHT      About 30 cm About 25 cm                                      GROWTH RATE       Vigorous    Moderately                                                                     vigorous                                         LATERAL BRANCH    22 to 24 cm 19 to 21 cm                                      LENGTH                                                                         QUANTITY OF LEAVES PER                                                                           16 to 17    12 to 13                                         LATERAL BRANCH                                                                 LEAF LENGTH       10 to 10.5 cm                                                                              8.5 to 9.5 cm                                    QUANTITY OF INFLO-                                                                               About 8     About 6.5                                        RESCENCES PER STEM                                                             INFLORESCENCE     12 to 14 cm 9.5 to 10 cm                                     DIAMETER                                                                       INFLORESCENCE HEIGHT                                                                             About 5 cm  About 4 cm                                       DISC HEIGHT       About 2 cm  About 1.5 cm                                     RAY FLORET LENGTH 6.5 to 7 cm 4.2 to 4.5 cm                                    RAY FLORET COLOR, 3A          12A                                              WHEN OPENING, UPPER                                                            SIDE                                                                           RAY FLORET COLOR, 3A          3A                                               MATURE, UPPER SIDE                                                             RAY FLORET COLOR, 3C          3C                                               MATURE, UNDER SIDE                                                             NUMBER OF RAY FLORETS                                                                            About 80    About 32                                         PER INFLORESCENCE                                                              PEDUNCLE LENGTH   About 7.5 cm                                                                               About 5 cm                                       PEDUNCLE ANGLE    25 to 30°                                                                           About 45°                                 ______________________________________                                     

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named Noon Time, as illustrated and described. 